Internet investigation in Florida results in arrest of Elkhart man

Authorities allege he sought sex acts from female minors.

Authorities allege he sought sex acts from female minors.

March 11, 2006|YONIKA WILLIS Tribune Staff Writer

ELKHART -- An undercover Internet investigation out of Florida led to the arrest of an Elkhart man at his job Friday morning. Raymond G. Walker, 43, was arrested abut 8:40 a.m. on a warrant for suspicion of child solicitation by investigators from the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office and the St. Joseph County Hi-Tech Crimes Unit. Walker was taken into custody at Carpenter Co., 195 County Road 15. Authorities said Walker is in middle management at the company, where he allegedly made most of his online contacts. At the time of his arrest, officers said, Walker was chatting online with an undercover police officer who he believed was a minor. He was transported to the Elkhart County Jail, where he will be held pending extradition to Florida. Walker is believed to have solicited sex acts from female minors on many occasions in several states, including Florida, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Texas and Connecticut. The FBI also has gathered information on him, authorities said. Authorities confiscated Walker's laptop computer Friday as well as floppy disks and other associated materials. "The upper management of Carpenter was extremely helpful in this investigation, and this arrest should in no way reflect negatively on the Carpenter Company, which is a longstanding part of the Elkhart manufacturing community," said Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill in a press release Friday.Staff writer Yonika Willis: ywillis@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6556